


collect your scars and wear them well

by ohmygodwhy



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Episode: s03e14-15 The Boiling Rock, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape Aftermath, ain't no romanticizing this shit over here, off-screen though, pre-relationship-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-01 11:18:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8622562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmygodwhy/pseuds/ohmygodwhy
Summary: The Boiling Rock is a looming hunk of metal stretching into the sky, surrounded by a sea of lava inside of a volcano.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this like a year ago but i just watched the boiling rock episodes again and was like hey,,,,,,maybe u should take that one fic out and edit it,,,,,,,,,and so here i am again, making life horrible for my kids
> 
> warning for mentions of non-graphic offscreen sexual assault; a little more sensitive material than i usually write for this fandom, so please do be careful

 

 

The Boiling Rock is a looming hunk of metal stretching into the sky, surrounded by a _sea of lava_ inside of a _volcano_. It's pretty appropriately named.

Sokka's been all over the world; he's seen all sorts of prisons. Ones for earthbenders and ones for waterbenders, separating the benders from their element, cutting them off from the world and keeping them helpless. And now, lo and behold, a prison for firebenders, created by firebenders—a nation imprisoning its own people.

He's not really surprised. The Fire Nation isn't exactly known for its forgiveness.

The inside isn't much better— it's actually probably worse, all dull metal walls and floors and tiny little cells, with guards in menacing armor that all look the same, and the thought that some people will spend the rest of their days living in a small metal box and doing pointless manual labor writes itself high up on Sokka's 'list of things to hate about the Fire Nation'.

And while yeah, the whole _'Zuko,_ the angry prince that chased them halfway across the world, being here, with the group, with _him_ , risking his safety and possibly his life to help Sokka find his dad' thing is still pretty weird, he's glad for the company. He wouldn't have gotten here otherwise. Once they get out (if they get out), he'll have to put in a good word with Katara, take Zuko on a hunting trip for some manly bonding or something.

(He’s seen those swords of his, and he’s not sure if the guy actually know how to hunt—if he does, they’ll catch themselves some quality meat, and if he doesn’t, well. Sokka can show him a thing or two, because he’s nice like that.)

But his dad isn't here. They've come all this way for nothing, done all this for nothing. And then Zuko's off babbling nonsense about clouds and sandwiches and Sokka's about to say that they need to get out of the prison as soon as possible when he sees _her—Suki_. She's here and she's alive and he wonders vaguely how long she's been living in this metal deathtrap as he races to find her cell.

Everything goes to hell when Zuko is caught (because of him, Sokka thinks, because he stayed in the cell too long). And dammit, they didn't sign up for this—he hadn't known what exactly he'd walked into, but it definitely wasn't this complicated in his little half-baked plan. Zuko’s shoulder blades are bony, even through the armor, and Sokka presses his hand firmly into his back and says _I’ll figure it out_ (he’s not actually sure what the hell they’re gonna do but it’s _fine,_ because he always thinks of something and they always make it out on top eventually).

And then, "The Warden's having a word with the prisoner," is the answer he gets when he asks why there are two guards posted outside Zuko's cell when he goes to talk with him. And he remembers oh yeah, traitor prince of the _Fire Nation_ showing up in a _Fire Nation prison,_ probably _wanted_ by the Fire Nation. It was so weird to think about, but kinda hard to forget when the guy always stared at his tea cup a little too long, like he was remembering something he’d never get back. (Sokka thought that even when Zuko was angry and bitter and obsessive, he still loved his uncle a lot. It was hard to connect the two images, so he tried not to look at him very much at dinner anymore.)

Anyways, probably an Honorary Fire Nation Traitor Prince Interrogation going on, so he turns around and speed walks away and waits around the corner for them to leave and worries a little and hopes the Warden's really just having a word with him.

They do leave, eventually.

(When Sokka slips in and sees Zuko—on his knees and trembling with rumpled clothes and bloodstained pants hanging low on his hips and he flinches _so hard_ when Sokka uncertainly says his name, eyes rimmed red and blown wide with _naked fear_ that he's _never_ seen the prince wear before—and all he can think is that it's _his fault, Zuko wasn't supposed to come this wasn't supposed to happen it's all Sokka's fault all his fault all his fault._

It's all his fault.

Zuko barely looks at him. Blinks the hot tears out of his eyes. Doesn't cry. It might've been better if he did.

And Sokka has no idea what to do—he helps Zuko onto the bed, sits cautiously next to him, and what the hell do you say to this? What the hell do you say to him? 'I'm sorry' won't change a damn thing and Sokka's still in the phase of horror ( _he knows things like this happen but he never thought it'd happen to someone he knows and he did this and he's so stupid)_ and soul crushing guilt.

"The Warden is Mai's uncle," is all Zuko says, voice raw and cracking and quiet and _ashamed._

Sokka hates the Warden (i _t's his fault and it's Sokka's fault and Zuko should've have come he shouldn't have—_ ) and stares at the crack of light in the door really hard before he turns and hesitates and holds his arms open carefully. He doesn’t know if Zuko wants him to leave or stay or even be touched at all but Sokka doesn’t know what to say and he doesn’t want to leave him to sit alone like this so. 

Zuko leans slowly into the touch. He still doesn't look at him. He shakes and he swallows and he tries to catch his breath and he buries his humiliation in the folds of Sokka's guard uniform. Sokka bites his lip so hard it bleeds because he has no right to cry when he’s not even the one who got hurt (got _violated—spirits)_.

They don't move for the rest of the night.

They don't talk about it when Sokka has to leave the next morning.)

They think up a plan to escape. Zuko gets himself thrown in the cooler. They find out Sokka's dad might be coming, he might show up, all of this might have been worth it. And hell, Zuko's willing to _stay another night_ , risk whatever's left of his freedom after everything on the slim chance of Sokka's father being on that gondola, and if Sokka didn't feel like the world's most selfish asshole before, he does now.

But Zuko looks at him with those yellow yellow firefly eyes of his and he knows he has to make this all _worth_ something, he has to make it _mean_ something.

The prison garb hangs off his bony shoulders shapelessly and Suki’s standing behind him, all big kind eyes and reassuring presence, and he hopes to whatever spirits are out there that they can make it all _mean something._

The spirits are kind sometimes and Dad does show up, hatches a plan with him, hugs him laughs with him praises him (if they don't get out soon Zuko could be handed over to _his_ father—there's no way in hell he'll let that happen). The spirits also like to screw them over and Zuko's crazy sister shows up too with her scary blue fire and scarier smile.

(They take the Warden hostage and Sokka feels a kind of sick satisfaction watching the bastard wiggle around, glaring at them with cold hatred, getting a taste— _but not enough_ —of his own medicine and he really wants to throw him into the lava at the look Zuko shoots the man, at the way he stands as far away as possible, at the way the bastard seems to _notice_ and stares at him all smug and disgusting and Sokka wants to punch him a few times and kick him a few more before throwing him into the lava).

Zuko fights with a passion he hasn't shown since his Avatar-hunting days—fire filled with too much emotion, strong, very strong, too strong.

Mai saves them (the niece of the—) and he sees the guilt he can’t make himself feel (the niece, she’s the filthy man’s niece) on the prince's face as they run (toss the Warden like the trash he is back into the gondola).

And they're alive as they lift off the ground in Zuko's crazy sister's blimp. They're alive.

The Boiling Rock is a looming hunk of metal getting smaller and smaller, a dot surrounded by a sea of lava inside of a volcano.

Zuko is extremely silent—even more so than usual—on the long ride back, quiet and leaning on the rail and tilting his head up like he’s trying to soak up as much sun as possible. It's all Sokka's fault.

"I'm fine," is what he rasps when Sokka seeks him out with a question in his eyes. Neither of them believe his words, but Sokka won't force any more words out of him—he's had enough taken from him already, and he'll be damned if he takes anything more.

But they've made it mean something—they've rescued Dad and Suki and they've made it worth something.

Sokka wonders if it's enough.

Later, they tell the story around the fire, Dad throwing in embellishments and sound effects where Sokka isn’t as enthusiastic as usual, and Katara still looks at Zuko with disdain and _spirits,_ Sokka's suddenly so sick of it, and so sick of Zuko sitting there and silently taking it like he think he deserves it over and over and over again.

After everyone else falls asleep, Sokka sits heavily next to the prince and stares at the fire with him.

(They don't say anything, because putting things into words means cementing them as truth that no one wants to ackowledge.)

They'll defeat the Firelord and they'll make it mean something.

(The fire in Zuko's eyes doesn't go out and his shoulders are tense and he doesn't give anything away and he's so incredibly strong it's painful.)

Sokka still wonders if it's enough.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> comment 2 save a life


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